Baker Mayfield jokes about Duke’s academic prowess while praising rookie Graham Barton

First-round draft pick Graham Barton is apparently learning the playbook quickly, which his new quarterback attributed to Duke’s academics.

Learning an NFL playbook is a brutal challenge with the wide variety of words and phrases to learn, but for a Duke graduate, it might not be as intimidating.

[autotag]Graham Barton[/autotag], the first-round draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has apparently picked up his new offense pretty quickly during his rookie offseason. New quarterback Baker Mayfield joked that his college might have something to do with that.

“I guess Duke has a pretty good academic program,” Mayfield quipped.

The entire Tampa Bay offense will learn a new system this season after former offensive coordinator Dave Canales took the Carolina Panthers head coaching job. The former Blue Devil has a great chance to establish himself in his new offense quickly with a strong grasp of new coordinator Liam Coen’s playbook.

Barton seems to be ingratiating himself quickly in the Tampa Bay locker room with the Buccaneers already posting a video of him reacting to the Florida heat as he gets underway at training camp.

Barton’s pro debut comes against the Washington Commanders in September.